Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Before the start of the redistricting commission meeting Monday night in Centralia, Lewis County resident Olga Miller smiles as she charts her district boundary, which has bounced back and forth from the 18th to the 20th.

Redistricting plan draws flak

South Sound residents air fears at hearing

BRAD SHANNON, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published October 2

CENTRALIA -- South Sound residents ganged up Monday night against a plan that would shift Olympia into a new congressional district with Bremerton and push parts of west Olympia into a legislative district with Shelton.

The shifts are in draft boundary plans drawn up by four partisan members of the Washington State Redistricting Commission, whose job it is to equalize the population in the state's nine congressional and 49 legislative districts. Monday was the first of three public hearings.

Also speaking Monday was a coalition of minority groups worried that the state's redistricting effort could break up enclaves of racial and ethnic minorities in Tacoma, Yakima and other areas, in effect diluting the minorities' political clout. About half of the more than 30 people who testified spoke in favor of what they called the Citizens Unity Map that representatives of several minority groups drew up.

Commission members said they will take all the comments to heart, but gave no indication of how the testimony would change their draft plans.

"Many of the comments tonight were general. More specific comments would have been more helpful," said John Giese, a commissioner from Bellevue. However, he added, the unity plan will get consideration as commissioners begin negotiating terms for a single plan that must be completed by Dec. 15.

Dean Foster, a commissioner from Olympia, said everything that comes in will get consideration. But ideas received by Oct. 30 will get more attention, the commission's nonvoting chairman Graham Johnson said.

Based on what testimony is already given, several proposed changes to the South Sound political landscape face hurdles. "Unfortunately we don't like any of the plans for the 3rd Congressional District," said Thurston County Democratic Party chairman Dave Kempher.

Kempher strongly objected to further diluting the Olympia area's traditional alignment with the 3rd Congressional District, which more recently has seen the 9th District extended into the eastern county. Two plans would instead link Olympia with Bremerton and the northern Olympic Peninsula in the 6th District, but Kempher said that dividing the county into as many as three congressional districts would disenfranchise local voters.

"I'd rather see the 9th District (which runs north to Federal Way) come south and take in the whole county," Kempher said.

Michael Lynch, president of the Cooper Point Association, also criticized plans that would change the traditional lineup of the eight-mile peninsula northwest of Olympia. In two Republican plans, parts or all of the liberal-leaning area would be shifted along with parts of west Olympia into the more conservative 35th Legislative District, which now includes Shelton and parts of Bremerton.

"We believe that that would dilute the representative voice of Cooper Point residents who have a historical tie to Thurston County," Lynch said.

One of those plans would also cost Sen. Karen Fraser, D-Thurston County, her seat in the 22nd District, which now takes in all of Cooper Point.

Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, whose 35th District now includes the Steamboat Island Peninsula, also opposed adding Cooper Point.

One of the few who spoke in favor of the GOP proposals was Bob Michie of Olympia. He said the congressional plans kept rural areas with large landowners in districts that were separate from urban areas. The plans also anticipate such trends as Grays Harbor County eventually moving into the 6th Congressional District and Bremerton into the 1st, Michie said.

In the 20th Legislative District that takes in southern Thurston County, state Sen. Dan Swecker, R-Rochester, favored keeping all of Lewis County in the district, while his seatmate, Rep. Gary Alexander, R-Thurston County, spoke in favor of retaining Yelm.

But the largest number of people who spoke were part of an organized effort by several minority groups to boost the unity plan.

"I urge you not to divide our community or dilute our vote," said Youngsil Jaqua of University Place, president of the Korean Women's Association.

Tony Orange, executive director for the Commission on African American Affairs, said he is hopeful the coalition will get consideration "given the fact there are only five maps in play and the Citizens Unity Map was the first up. They should give it more consideration.''

What's next

The Washington State Redistricting Commission will have two more public hearings on four draft political boundary maps. The remaining hearings are:

- Friday: 7 p.m. at North Seattle Community College.

- Tuesday, Oct. 9: 7 p.m. at Spokane Falls Community College.

On the web:

Redistricting Commission

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